En primeur or "wine futures", is a method of purchasing wines early while a vintage is still in a barrel, offering the customer the opportunity to invest in a particular wine before it is bottled. Payment is made at an early stage, a year or 18 months prior to the official release of a vintage. A possible advantage of buying wines en primeur is that the wines may be considerably cheaper during the en primeur period than they will be once bottled and released on the market. However, that is not guaranteed and some wines may lose value over time. Wine experts, like Tom Stevenson, recommend buying en primeur for wines with very limited quantities and will most likely not be available when they are released.[1] The wines most commonly offered en primeur are from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhône Valley and Port, although other regions are adopting the practice.[2]

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Barrel samples of the wines are tasted when the wine is between 6 to 8 months old with the wine then giving a preliminary score or rating that influences the en primeur price.

In following spring after a year's harvest, merchants and trade organization will taste barrel samples of wine that is often only 6–8 months old. In the case of Bordeaux, where the final wine is often a blend of several grape varieties, the winemaker will try to craft an approximate blend to sample. The composition of the final wine may differ from the sample depending on how each barrel matures during the aging process. Based on the initial sample, the wines will be giving a preliminary "score" or wine rating based on the expected quality of the wine once it is bottled, released and has had time to mature.[1]

An en primeur wine gives the owner the right to receive the respective bottles of wines once the producer has completed the maturing phase of the wine. Wine bought en primeur is often directly placed into custom-free storage holding, 'in bond'. Known as a delicate method of investment, a purchase may ultimately be deemed a loss, or there may be considerable profit. For example, the 1982 vintage of Château Latour, was sold at £250 a case en primeur in 1983, while valued in 2007 at £9,000, although the major part of this price increase occurred after bottling.[3]

For the consumer, purchasing en primeur gives them the opportunity to secure wines that may have very limited quantities and be difficult to get after they are released. In favorable vintages some classified Bordeaux estates can have nearly all that year's inventory be allocated or purchased before the wine is released. The purchase price during the en primeur period may also be lower than the price the wine will be once it is released.[1]

In April 2009 the release of the 2008 en primeur from Bordeaux was released 30% down on average compared to the previous year. This has created a huge buying frenzy within the market and investment opportunity has grown.[4]